Kapitel 44: An Honest Answer

Dinner was awkward to say the least. Grace had baked bread while Mirabel had prepared her famous rabbit stew with Giselle's help. They decided to serve Corion first, watching and waiting to see what was going to be his reaction towards our cooking. I stared at Corion, trying to gauge his reaction to see if he was okay with this.

I was worried it was going to feel as if my own parents were using him as a tester but immediately the food got in front of him, Corion was quick to bite into the bread. He also drank the soup, thanking my mother for cooking such an amazing soup which made my mom turn red while she smiled widely at him as she told him if he needed more he could ask her.

After that things got awkwardly silent at the table again. Corion thanked my mom for dinner and then it came to the sleeping arrangements. As we only had two bedroom, my sisters and I offered to vacate it to sleep with our mother while Corion was going to sleep in the room.

My mother and sisters called it a night, disappearing into their room while I stayed in our room to make it more presentable.

"So," Corion cleared his throat awkwardly as he glanced around in the bedroom, "Which one is yours?"

I stared up at him, noticing the way he looked awkward in our room. His big frame almost too the entire space in the small bedroom I shared with my sisters. I noticed the way he was staring at the two beds in the bedroom.

One was big enough for two, covered in pink silky bed sheets with purple quilt. The other was a small narrow bed with a single brown blanket laid on top of it.

"Um, that one." I pointed at the narrow bed but moved over to the bigger one, "But you should use this, I'm sure Giselle and Grace wouldn't mind." I said already adjusting the beddings.

But I heard footsteps and then a creak. I turned my head only to see Corion sitting on my bed. "I will take this one."

I arched a brow up at how he sat on my bed, it looked like he was trying so hard not to rest all of his weight on it which wasn't surprising. Since the bed was old and only built to support my weight. It was going to be uncomfortable for him since he was a lot bigger than me.

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

Corion tilted his head slightly, "Do you actually care?"

I pretended to think about it, "Hmm, not really. I mean it's going to be pretty hilarious when you fall down to the ground in the middle of a nap."

A chuckle rumbled out of Corion, "Thought as much." He said patting the bed, "But I think I'm going to be okay here."

I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my face. Lowering myself to my sister's bed, I stared at Corion who was busy looking around the room and I could see the look of curiosity in his gaze even though he was putting on a mask.

"Why do you wear that?" The question popped out of my lips before I could question it.

Corion turned to look at me, not saying anything and we just sat there in awkward silence. When I saw that he wasn't going to give any reply to my question, I stood up from the bed to leave the room. But just as my hand reached for the handle, I heard him speak.

"People already think me a monster," He said, his tone soft yet unyielding.

I froze, his words settling into the quiet like a stone dropped into still water. Slowly, I turned back to face him. He was still sitting, his posture rigid, yet there was a vulnerability in the way his shoulders slumped just slightly.

The mask hid his face, but his voice revealed what he couldn't show. Pain, anger, maybe even fear.

"They don't need more reasons," He continued his gaze fixed on the floor. "So I give them this instead. A mask for a monster."

My chest tightened in my chest as I turned to look back fully at him. "You are not a monster."

Corion snorted in response, "I think you will be the first human to say that to me."

"That's not true."

Corion offered me a small smile response, "You are forgetting one thing Aneesa, I hear people's thought." He said.

I opened my mouth about to ask what he meant by that but Corion was already laying down on the bed, silently dismissing me. There were still a lot of questions I wanted to ask him, a million ones but he one that overrode the questions swimming in my head was if he was truly okay and what was bothering him.

I shouldn't be asking that or even care if he wasn't but I do care, which was strangely unnerving. I suppose there was time to figure all of that out, so I decided to let it go, just for tonight.

"Good night Corion and thank you." I whispered and even though he was facing away from me, I noticed the way his body seemed to tense for a bit before the tension in his body suddenly relaxed.

Smiling at that, I left the room, leaving him alone to finally get some sleep.

***

"Aneesa!"

"Aneesa, wake up!"

Through my haze of sleep, I felt something or someone grip my shoulders, shaking me hard till I eventually became conscious. I opened my eyes when my eyelids felt as heavy as bricks. Stifling a yawn I opened my eyes only to be met with Giselle and Grace who were staring down at me with worried look on their faces that immediately chased the sleep I had away from my face.

"What is it?" I asked sitting up from the floor where I slept, "Is it mom?"

"I'm fine."

I turned to see my step mother sitting on the bed and a quick assessing showed that she was fine. So if she's okay, then who is it? I asked myself when I heard a groan coming from opposite our bedroom.

Shit, Corion! I thought as horror gripped me.

"It's the prince!" Grace murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! I thought to myself as I immediately stood up from the floor where I had slept. Without hesitation, I opened the door of the bedroom just in time to hear a heavy crash from the room where Corion laid. My blood turned cold.

I pushed the door open with force that sent it slamming against the wall. The sight before me froze me in my tracks. Corion laid on the floor, writhing as if he was in pain. His face was a mask of anguish, sweat glistening on his brow as he groaned and muttered incoherent words.

"What's happening to him?" Giselle asked and there was no masking the worry in her tone.

"He is having a nightmare." I murmured as I instantly rushed to his side on the floor.

Kneeling down next to Corion, I grabbed his shoulders but he didn't wake. His fists clenched tightly, his body contorting as though wracked by some unspeakable pain.

"Corion!" I called louder as I shook him harder, trying to get him out from whatever nightmarish hell he was facing.

But Corion's face stubbornly remained shut. His expression wasn't just one of fear but also of torment. Corion continued to shake harder, whimpering as he twisted and turned.

"No, no, no, not her…not her, please, not her!" Corion whimpered.

Fucking hell, he was dreaming about her again! I thought with an exasperated sigh before I grabbed him by his shoulders. "Corion, wake up right now!" I yelled loudly and almost as if my voice carried a lot of weight Corion's gaze snapped open.

His green eyes turned amber color, just as his claws extended and in one swift predatory movement, I was pinned beneath him, his hands gripping my throat with terrifying force.

"Aneesa!" My family's voices rang out in unison, their cries of horror mixing with the sound of my own gasps. My chest burned as Corion's grip tightened, but I forced myself to stay calm.

My mother stepped forward, "Aneesa! Get away from her!" She yelled her hand raised as if ready to strike him.

"No!" I yelled at her, my voice hoarse but firm, "Stay back, and don't come here!"

Grace breathed out in disbelief. "But he's hurting you!"

"I'll be fine, just don't come." I ordered them, then I turned to look back at Corion. "Hey, it's me, Corion it's me, Aneesa." I wheezed out just as he squeezed harder but he just snarled at me in response.

My hands trembled as I reached up, fingers brushing his cheek. "You are okay, you are okay Corion, I'm right here, and it's going to be okay!" I assured him, my voice a soothing whisper.

Corion's bright eyes slowly returned back to their normal color, his expression shifting from rage to horror as realization dawned. With a shocked gasp, he scrambled away from me, backing into the corner of our bedroom, leaning against it as he tried to catch his breath. His chest heaving as he clutched the wall for support.

A heavy silence descended the room afterwards, no one said anything and the only sound in the room was that of Corion who was still breathing heavily. He didn't say anything, just to breathe heavily till eventually he calmed down but he still didn't say anything.

"Your highness are you okay?" Grace asked taking a tentative step forward but I shook my head at her.

With a sigh, I stood up from the floor. "We should leave."

"But_"

My mother grabbed Grace's hand and pulled her away from the room before she could complete her sentence. Giselle left afterwards, her gaze narrowing at Corion then back at me as she left. I turned to look back at Corion, waiting to see if he needed something or was going to say something.

When it was clear that he was not, I proceeded to leave the room too, shutting the door after me. I met my family standing in the hallway, their eyes swirling with questions.

"What the hell is that?" Giselle asked in that charming tone of hers.

"Is it a werewolf thing?" Grace whispered, her blue eyes wide open with fear.

"To be honest," I stated as I stared at the door, "I do not know." And that was the honest and best answer I could give them.